Monday, October 23, 2017

HARD WOOD BY LAUREN BLAKELY-RELEASE DAY LAUNCH



From #1 NYT Bestselling author Lauren Blakely, comes a hot and hilarious standalone romance about what happens when you have one week to convince your best friend’s little sister that you’re the one for her. What could possibly go wrong? It looks like things are about to get hard in the woods...Don’t miss the laugh-out-loud and insanely hot story, HARD WOOD!

Now available on all retailers! Grab your copy today, and get HARD WOOD in your hands!


✮✮✮ HARD WOOD is here! Grab your copy today! ✮✮✮

From #1 NYT Bestselling author Lauren Blakely comes a hot & hilarious new standalone romantic comedy...

Women often say a good man is hard to find. And a hard man is even better.

That's why I'm quite a catch-- good, hard, loaded, and wait for it...I'm ready to settle down too. But the woman I want to pitch my tent with lives clear across the country. Neither of us wants to get lost in those woods. All I have to do is resist her for the week she's in town.

I try. I swear I try. But yeah, that doesn't work out. 

And after one fantastic night with my good friend Mia, I'm ready to give her years of nights under the stars. What's a few thousand miles when love's involved? But there's a hitch in my plans -- she just hired my adventure tour company. If there's one thing I'm committed to, it's running a squeaky clean business. Number one on my list of iron-clad rules?

Don't screw your customers.

But what's a guy to do when she's so hard to resist? How hard can it be to keep our hands off each other for a quick group tour down the hills and over the trails? I'm about to find out, and I have a feeling I'm going to need a new badge of honor because things are about to get very hard in the woods. 

You can find this sexy standalone romantic comedy available across all retailers now! 

✦Kindle US ➜ http://amzn.to/2gudVgq
✦Kindle UK ➜ http://amzn.to/2xXwncq
✦Kindle CA ➜ http://amzn.to/2zsvfdd
✦Kindle AU ➜ http://amzn.to/2gvLhLS
✦Google Play ➜ http://bit.ly/2x5DHPH
✦Amazon PB ➜ http://amzn.to/2x8Y54c
✦Amazon Audio ➜ http://amzn.to/2znV6Uu
✦Audible ➜ http://adbl.co/2x5FyE6


Lauren Blakely's writing is my kryptonite. I'm not sure how she does it-how she makes me fall in love over and over again, but she does. She can take a trope I've read hundreds of times before-falling for a friend's little sister-and make it seem so fresh, fun and unique. This book had me swooning, laughing, sighing and grinning. I didn't want it to end but couldn't stop grinning when it did.

Mia was so much fun. I adore her sense of self, her strength. I admire her guts and willingness to go all in and make drastic changes in her life to seize a potential opportunity. She's willing to put herself out there and how can you not love that? She's down to earth and I love that. This is a character I'd go have a purple snow globe with any day of the week.

Patrick had serious swoon game. A man who knows what he wants, what he's ready for and who he wants it with?? Talk about a unicorn. A smart, hot, sexy and sweet unicorn. I admired Patrick. He wanted to do things the way he felt was right and I really liked that. He put his cards on the table (mostly!) and just went all in.

I have to admit I'm a sucker for the first kiss between the hero and heroine. An absolute sucker for them and I wasn't disappointed in this book. However, this book gave me a new thing to sigh over-the first hand hold. Oh, I was just a puddle. There's no denying the chemistry between these characters. It snaps and crackles in the banter they share and when they finally connect? Let's just say I there are definitely kindle melting moments here.

The writing here was so vivid that I felt like I could SEE everything these characters were experiencing. From the stars in the sky, to the twigs on a hiking trail and the felt on a pool table during a game, I could just see it. My heart skipped a beat more than once at moments between Patrick and Mia because I felt I was just there with them...in a totally non creepy way LOL. I was completely immersed in the story here.

This is the last book in the Big Rock series from this author but it can be read and enjoyed as a standalone. That being said, I personally loved getting to revisit characters from past books. It's one of the things this author does so incredibly well. The supporting characters never overwhelm the story, ever. I loved getting to see where those past characters are NOW. So thank you, Lauren Blakely, for giving those little glimpses into the other Big Rock characters here.

This book is full of sharp, sexy, sweet and fun banter. The pacing is perfect-and while I didn't want it to end, I couldn't keep the grin off my face when it did. Hard Wood was the perfect ending for this series, though it can absolutely be enjoyed as a standalone. I highly recommend this book.

 


I loved absolutely everything about this book. Wait, I am not happy that I finished it and it is over. I don't like that part. This is one of those books, the rare ones, where you wish you could forget everything about the book and read it again, for the first time. I don't want it to be over...I wanted another epilogue, and another, and another.

But, seriously, it was perfection.

Yeah, yeah, I know. I say that about all of Lauren Blakely's books. And, it is true about every single one of them, and for different reasons every time. This one, I could not stop smiling. And, I adored Zeus. The addition of Patrick's cat (as much as I am sure Zeus would protest this name) gave this book a humor, and a vibe that is so different than other books with pets, I think because Lauren Blakely clearly knows cats, and how they think...or at least how humans believe they think, as who knows. As a cat person myself, and one who absolutely loves the quirks of having a cat in my life (one of the "drag" variety who will not be going outside, unlike this cat), I adored Zeus.

It had characters you love, quotes by one of my favorite authors, cats you want to cuddle and get high on catnip, and recurring characters you are happy to see again. If you haven't read the other books, first, what are you thinking??? Go read them!!! And, second, the recurring characters don't keep this from being a standalone, and you can read it even if you haven't read the others (although I am still stuck on the idea that you might not have read them?!?!?) and still enjoy Patrick and Mia.

Patrick and Mia are perfect. I love that they know how perfect they are for one another from the beginning, and that it takes them a little time to tell one another. Not because they are afraid of rejection, or because they doubt their feelings, but because they are ok with waiting for the other person, for as long as it takes, for them to work out and be together. So perfect, charming and fun to read.

Zeus. I am not even sure what to say about Zeus. Wait, I don't need to say anything. He is a cat, and he already knows. Because, well, he is a cat. And, I ADORED him. I loved that he was a part of the book, and that he got to be a character. Because he is awesome...and all good romances should have a cat. Really.

Romance, for it to work, needs to engage the mind and the heart of the reader. You have to not only believe in the characters, you have to feel what they are feeling, their joy, their uncertainty, and their happiness. This is so easy to do with Lauren's books, as they are so well written they draw you in, and you feel all the feels, you can't help it...it just happens and you are willingly along for the ride.

The ending is perfect, and it is so true to them, to the way they have been the entire time. And, while this is hard to say without spoiling so I will be vague, the sheer romance of his idea, of how they should begin the new phase of their relationship is the kind of thing you will still be swooning over days later. It was probably the cat's idea.

I loved this book. And, I recommend it. Don't believe me? Just ask my cat Maxwell, he knows all...and knew it first.




I let go of her hand and thread my fingers through her hair. “Get on me.”

Then I grab her hips and move her so she’s straddling my lap. She gasps, a sexy noise that turns into a moan as she sinks down on my hard-on.

I hiss because it feels so fucking good.

“I wanted to come over the other night. After dinner. After the elevator,” she blurts out.

“Yeah?”

She nods. “Dinner ran late, but I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

“What were you thinking?”

“That we didn’t get to kiss, and I wanted to so badly.”

“I can fix that problem right now.”

I take her face in my hands and bring her to me. Then the world spirals away as I kiss Mia Summers for the very first time.

It’s extraordinary. Her lips brush against mine, and she wastes no time. She slides closer, rubbing on my dick as she presses her chest to me. It’s as if she’s climbing me, and God, how I want this. How I want her like this.

I thread my fingers through her hair, pulling her closer, kissing her deeper. Tasting her. Her mouth is soft and sweet, and she makes these little sounds—whimpers, sighs, gasps—that make me nearly lose my mind.

I’m kissing Mia. I’ve been crazy for her for so damn long, and she’s on my lap, rubbing against my erection, kissing me as if her every last breath depends on it. Her tongue tangles with mine, and in a hot second, the kiss become furious. Greedy. Like two people who are mad about each other. I curl my hands around her head, wanting to get as close as I can, but she bats them away.

I break contact for a moment and raise a questioning eyebrow.

“My turn.” She lifts her hands, cups my cheeks, and then she strokes my jaw. Reverently. Hungrily. And I know what she’s doing. She’s feeling my beard. She’s touching my stubbled jaw with eager fingers, as if she’s wanted to get her hands on me for as long as I’ve wanted to touch her.

I don’t stop her. I drop my hands to her hips, and I guide her along, moving her so she grinds against my cock, and she’s gasping and murmuring as she kisses me.

We consume each other. We are ravenous. My brain turns to static, firing pleasure signal after pleasure signal to every nerve in my body. I want to live in this moment for the rest of the night. I don’t ever want to forget how good it feels not only to kiss her, but to be kissed by her.

She rocks harder, goes faster, murmurs louder, then she separates and looks at me with desperate eyes. “You have no idea.”

I shake my head. “I do. I have every idea.”


✦ The audiobook is narrated by Sebastian York! Get your copy today! ✦ 



“Hard Wood is the kind of heart-racing, hope soaring, face-flushing love story that I love to read! It was sexy, romantic, funny and an absolute pleasure to read.” ~Red Cheeks Reads

"HARD WOOD was such an adorable love story! A hot guy and his famous cat looking for their happily ever after ... Perfect #RomCom!" ~Bianca at BJ’s Book Blog


"I never fail to fall in love with Lauren Blakely's stories. Hard Wood is a swoony romance that will warm your heart and possibly other body parts." ~Peggy Lee, Reading Keeps Me Sane Book Blog

Add it to Goodreads here! http://bit.ly/2uAoPJW


And don’t miss Lauren Blakely’s other standalone Romantic Comedies!



✮✮✮ Enter to win this amazing HARD WOOD GIVEAWAY! ✮✮✮ 

The HARD WOOD Urban Adventure Pack ($380 value) is filled with:
✮ A stylish Michael Kors backpack for when a purse is not enough for your shopping adventture
✮ $50 Gift Card to The Body Shop to pamper yourself after a long day
✮ Your very own plush Zeus to snuggle with
✮ A Smores Making Kit for a backyard adventure


About Lauren Blakely: 

A #1 New York Times Bestselling author, Lauren Blakely is known for her contemporary romance style that's hot, sweet and sexy. She lives in California with her family and has plotted entire novels while walking her dogs. With fourteen New York Times bestsellers, her titles have appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestseller Lists more than eighty times, and she's sold more than 2 million books. In October, she'll release HARD WOOD, the final standalone romantic comedy in the Big Rock series. To receive an email when Lauren releases a new book, sign up for her newsletter! laurenblakely.com/newsletter




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